Makhandas’ Invasive Gecko
Cape Dwarf Gecko - Lygodactylus capensis:Makhandas’ Invasive Gecko
Lygodactylus capensis - Cape Dwarf Gecko outside the 1820 settlers monument in Makhanda (Grahamstown), Eastern Cape, South Africa
Conradie et al. (2020), a short note published in the latest issue of the African Herp News. In this, we present the first records of South Africa’s most successful invasive gecko, Lygodactylus capensis - Cape Dwarf Gecko, in the protected areas of the Great Fish River Nature Reserve and Thomas Baines Nature Reserve. Additionally, the note adds on further records for the Makhanda region (See paper here). There are three species of non-native geckos which have been recorded in the greater Makhanda region, namely the Lygodactylus capensis - Cape Dwarf Gecko, Hemidactylus mabouia - Common Tropical House Gecko (Rebelo et al. 2019, Conradie, 2020) both of which are abundant and have colonised the region well. Then there is the Afrogecko porphyreus - Marbled Leaf-toed Gecko (Branch, 2014), which has not been recorded from the area since the original record/s from Marius Burger. Should you come across any geckos in the greater Makhanda region, be sure to add them to the Animal Demography Unit’s (Virtual Museum) or similar platforms.
An additional note, if you are not a member of the Herpetological Association of Africa and would like to join, follow this link (Link here). The organisation is affordable and not only is it great community focused in the research and conservation of African reptiles and amphibians, but it is also an association well aware of the issues around inequality in science, and society in general, with two excellent articles, “Increasing representation of woman authors in the Journal of the Herpetological Association of Africa” and “Make everyone welcome in HAA” in the latest issue by Stobie (2020) & Measey (2020) respectively.
Text Cited
BRANCH. W.R. 2014. Afrogecko porphyreus (DAUDIN 1802). In BATES. M.F., BRANCH, W.R., BAUER, A.M., BURGER, M., MARAIS, J., ALEXANDER, G.J., DE VILLIERS, M.S. editors. 2014. Atlas and Red List of the Reptiles of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Suricata 1. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
CONRADIE, W., NICOLAU, G.K., KEMP, K., EDWARDS, S., SNAKENBORG, S.K. & REEVES, B. Geographical Distributions: Lygodactylus capensis (Smith, 1849) Common Dwarf Gecko. New records for the Makhanda region. African Herp News. 74: 78-82.
REBELO, A.D., BATES, M.F., BURGER, M., BRANCH, W.R., CONRADIE, W. 2019. Range expansion of the Common Dwarf Gecko, Lygodactylus capensis: South Africa’s most successful reptile invader. Herpetology Notes. 12: 643-650.
STOBIE, C.S. 2020. Increasing representation of woman authors in the Journal of the Herpetological Association of Africa (1990-2019). African Herp News. 74: 44-54.
MEASEY, J. 2020. Make everyone welcome in HAA. African Herp News. 74: 40-43.
